Glenn Carlough

Glenn Carlough is a Bergen County native who had always wanted to open up his own restaurant. He jokes with me he’s practically never had a real job after graduating college, spending much of his early career as an ice hockey coach.

He was finally ready to open up his own restaurant. But only after a wild series of events, with various deals coming together and falling through, he at last was able to buy the location of the former Smith Brothers Steakhouse and turn that into Ridgewood’s Steel Wheel.

Glenn tells me how the name “Steel Wheel” was picked, the way he’s learned from other restaurant owners in the area, who he considers to be his “competition”, and the major struggles he faced during the pandemic. He even tells me which dish on his own menu he will never eat himself—and why it’s still on there.